Community District
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Bronx CD08 Projects
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Bronx Community District 08
5676 Riverdale Avenue
Bronx, NY 10471
Phone: 718.884.3959
Fax: 718.796.2763
Email: brxcb8@optonline.net
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Fieldston Landmark Designation
The City Council approved designating the Fieldston District of the Bronx, an enclave within the Riverdale neighborhood that contains 257 buildings, a historic landmark on April 26, 2006. The District was originally a privately owned estate, and its transformation into a suburban community was deliberately planned. The designation means approval will be required for making many cosmetic changes, and its critics have said this will reduce property values. Advocates of the designation argue that current regulations provide insufficient protection, and that the community will embrace the changes as necessary to preserve the character of the District.
Recent headlines
Land Use Council Approves Historic Designation
April 12, 2006
New York Times
Fieldston Hearing: Opposing Sides Square Off
March 30, 2006
New York Post
Fieldston Landmark Advocates Move Forward
March 29, 2006
Other
Van Cortlandt Park Filtration Plant
The city plans to build a water filtration plant in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx underground in the southeast corner of the park beneath the Mosholu Golf Course driving range. The city needs to build the plant because it is under a court order to filter the 10 percent of the water supply that comes from the Croton watershed to meet federal drinking-water standards. Other water from the Delaware and Catskillis is exempt. After opposition groups sued, the state's highest court ruled in 2001 that the city could not use parkland for the plant without the approval of the State Legislature. Mayor Michael Bloomberg brokered a deal with Bronx politicians to bypass Assemblyman Dinowitz by promising $243 million in additional funding for Bronx parks – including $43 million for Van Cortlandt Park alone. The city promises to restore the driving range upon completion of the project.
Residents living near the park oppose the plan, arguing that it will create health problems, ruin precious greenery and worsen traffic in the area. Neighbors say that a park adjoining a densely packed residential area is the wrong place for an industrial facility, especially when another location is available. Opponents of the project say the city never seriously considered the alternatives, particularly the Eastview site in Westchester, which has almost no residential neighbors. In addition, they say that the means used to obtain the parkland sets a disturbing precedent that puts other city parks at risk. In April 2007 the consortium chosen to build the billion dollar project opted out. Under what is now the best-case scenario, the price of the project would increase nearly 18 percent, from $1.127 billion to $1.328 billion.
Recent headlines
Renovated Parks Financed from Croton Filtration Plant Agreement Open in the Bronx
August 14, 2008
New York Times
Rat Infestation Could Further Hold Up Jerome Park Reservoir Blasting
August 11, 2008
New York Daily News
Jerome Park Reservoir Blasting Delayed on Judges Order
July 31, 2008
New York Times